Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” is the BEST giant-robots-fighting-things flick of all time. Considering how low movies like “Transformers” and “Robot Jox” set the bar, that statement may sound like a backhanded compliment. It’s not though, because “Pacific Rim” is truly this genre’s highest caliber film to-date. The picture’s exemplary special effects, editing, camerawork, and implementation of 3D cooperate to create a miraculous, yet convincing world where humans pilot massive mechanical men to combat mammoth monsters.

Actors Jim Rash and Nat Faxon wowed us with their Academy Award-winning screenplay for “The Descendants” in 2012. Now they’re poised to enthrall us again with their follow up: the summer coming-of-age flick “The Way, Way Back,” a passion project that they’ve been developing for years. Not only do they make their co-directorial debut with this film, but they co-write, co-produce, and co-star in it as well.

Hi all. It’s been a while since my last “Weekend Movie Preview” column, I know. Things have been busy for me, so I’ve been publishing one review at a time lately. However, I was thinking it would be nice to spice things up and use this format to share my reviews of two films that came out this weekend. Check out my thoughts on the Superman reboot “Man of Steel” and the apocalyptic comedy “This Is the End.”

MAN OF STEEL

Clark Kent is no ordinary boy. After the shocking discovery that he’s an extraterrestrial with extraordinary powers, Clark (Henry Cavill) grows up carefully hiding his ab...

The greatest weapon in a successful magician’s arsenal is misdirection, an arm wielded with razor-sharp precision by Louis Leterrier’s crime thriller “Now You See Me.” Like a talented illusionist, Leterrier’s film brandishes distraction, so that you only focus on elements in your line of sight. While your attention is locked on what Leterrier and his writers want you to see, the picture deftly maneuvers in the background, plotting to catch you off-guard with a masterful trick.

You’ve probably heard the common expression, that “Blood is thicker than water.” Even if you haven’t though, its meaning is simple: the bonds of family are stronger than those to everyone else in a community. As such, most people are willing to do anything to protect their clan’s good name and to keep their kin safe from danger. This easy-to-grasp concept is the core message of writer/director Ramin Bahari’s familial drama “At Any Price,” yet for some reason he chooses an unnecessarily tedious route to arrive at that point.

Baz Luhrmann’s bombastic big screen adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” is like drinking cheap booze to excess. It’s unpleasant going down, and even worse coming back up, but when the experience is over, you’ll feel much better.

Speaking of bad alcohol, Luhrmann’s film is a nasty homemade concoction. With his take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, he creates anachronistic moonshine that doesn’t mix effectively with the story’s Prohibition Era setting. His predilection for combining the old and new isn’t surprising, considering previous brazen films “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo + Juliet....

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) figures out how to play nice with others in “The Avengers,” but our smug, self-assured hero finally learns humility in Shane Black’s “Iron Man 3.” For the first time Stark can’t come up with all the answers immediately, he’s not always wearing his armor, and he doesn’t have jokes for every occasion. His struggle is actually quite refreshing, and endearing because watching this cocky character become so humbled over the course of Black’s story, is more engaging than any epic act of heroism that Iron Man performs in the film.

It’s fairly safe to say, that few filmmakers would attempt to shoot a found footage movie like Bobcat Goldthwait’s “Willow Creek.” There aren’t many writer/directors who could make an absurd combination mockumentary/horror flick even remotely watchable. That’s why Goldthwait is one of the bravest, most uncompromising voices in independent film right now. When he decides to experiment with a specific type of story, he’s dedicated to seeing the project through, no matter how strange the idea is. He gracefully accepts that not everyone loves what he’s doing, and focuses on creating fresh pictu...

When the creators of last year’s wicked horror anthology “V/H/S” sat down to make a sequel, it seems like they were reading from an audience suggestion box. That’s because “V/H/S/2” addresses many of the major complaints people had with its predecessor. And although the movie still isn’t perfect, it vastly improves upon the formula established by the first film, to tell more engaging stories.

For those who missed “V/H/S,” here’s the setup: People break into a house and stumble upon piles of mysterious VHS tapes. In this particular case they’re a couple of private investigators checking on ...

Shakespeare has never been as accessible on the big screen as he is in Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Sure, there have been plenty of modern Shakespearean film adaptations, but they often rely on well-known actors or massive stylistic updates to connect with audiences. Whedon’s version bridges that gap because it features his stable of performers and includes modern technology, while maintaining the essence of The Bard’s work.

Just because Whedon changes some aspects of the tale to suit our time however, doesn’t mean that he throws tradition completely out the window. If you’re ...